The Gallery Story

The Dundas region is rich in talent, and the Dundas Art & Craft Association is proud to play a role in the promotion of the arts and craftspeople. The Carnegie Gallery houses a gallery shop offering the finest in visual art, pottery, sculpture, jewellery, glass, woodworking, textiles and photography. The Gallery also boasts one of the busiest exhibition schedules in the area with monthly shows. The high standards have made the Carnegie one of the leading galleries in the region.

Each year since 1987, the Carnegie Gallery has coordinated the Arts Dundas weekend, a festival celebrating the visual, literary and performing arts in Dundas. This is done in cooperation with other local, non-profit groups and brings hundreds of visitors to town.

The Carnegie Gallery has a history of great exhibits. In 1990 The White Line, a national touring exhibition of contemporary wood engraving was organized, curated by Gerard Brender ‡ Brandis. It toured every province between 1990 and 1993. A companion book/catalogue was produced. In 1991 The Go Show, a major regional, non-juried show, was coordinated by the Carnegie and the Bay Area Arts Collective and was seen by over 7000 people.

On the Edge, a project that started in 1993 and continued into 1994, focused attention on the natural environments of the Hamilton region. A book detailing the wonderful art was produced in 1994. That year the Gallery worked with the Hamilton and Region Arts Council to present Designer Crafts, a regional fine craft show.

More recently the Gallery was awarded a grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation to help fund a number of initiatives including a volunteer appreciation event, new brochure and updated computer equipment. A large part of the grant, however, was used to celebrate the Gallery’s 25th anniversary in 2005. The Gallery was able to commission pieces from sculptor Barbara Patterson and artist/ illustrator Wesley Bates as well as stage two large celebratory exhibitions.